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A review by nerdynatreads
Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Wow, Soule really just throws you right into the action, alternating perspectives of people in the midst of a serious disaster that’s threatening not only an entire planet, but an entire system. Stakes are so high and things are moving fast, I was pulled to the edge of my seat instantly. All of the excitement lasts till about the 30% mark when things start to calm down and the questions of what, and how and why start to arise, definitely kicking up my intrigue as the real plot began.
Once things calm down, we actually get some time to be introduced to the different characters we’ll be following— both Jedi and not. In particular, I was really intrigued by this group, The Nihil, who seem to be space pirates, which obviously made me think of Firefly, but this crew definitely doesn’t have the charm of the Serenity. However, the tie in that did make me excited is their leader, Marchion Ro, is a descent of Marda from Path of Deceit & Vengeance. We get a bit more about his background as the book continues, but not anything substantial, anything really satisfying, so I can’t wait to learn about this family and the influence of Marda’s beliefs.
On the opposite side, the Jedi we meet, unfortunately, no one really stood out. There are two separate teams and though I got little bits of personality, it wasn’t enough to really endear me to any of them. We see most consistently through the eyes of Avar, a Jedi, and Bell, a Padawan. However, apart from them, it felt like every chapter had a new character to see through, making it really difficult to connect with anyone, not to mention occasional perspectives of other random characters, all equally forgettable, as well as very fragmented, which is where my biggest complaint comes in.
After the disaster has been resolved, the storylines we follow seem very segmented. A group of Jedi living in the Outer Rim, the Nihil who might be tied to the catastrophe, but we’re not sure, then Jedi and politicians trying to figure out what caused the destruction of a ship in the first place. I’m interested, but I just don’t think these three storylines flow together well as a cohesive narrative. We do get answers to how these connect, but it just isn’t done in a satisfying way. The book ends on such a cliffhanger with no real answers given! It is so clear that this was a kicking-off point, but I think the ending needed some work to still feel like an ending. I’m definitely going to be continuing this series, but if this were another series, I’d almost feel like I have to continue the series, but not because I liked it, because I didn’t get any real answers.
Once things calm down, we actually get some time to be introduced to the different characters we’ll be following— both Jedi and not. In particular, I was really intrigued by this group, The Nihil, who seem to be space pirates, which obviously made me think of Firefly, but this crew definitely doesn’t have the charm of the Serenity. However, the tie in that did make me excited is their leader, Marchion Ro, is a descent of Marda from Path of Deceit & Vengeance. We get a bit more about his background as the book continues, but not anything substantial, anything really satisfying, so I can’t wait to learn about this family and the influence of Marda’s beliefs.
On the opposite side, the Jedi we meet, unfortunately, no one really stood out. There are two separate teams and though I got little bits of personality, it wasn’t enough to really endear me to any of them. We see most consistently through the eyes of Avar, a Jedi, and Bell, a Padawan. However, apart from them, it felt like every chapter had a new character to see through, making it really difficult to connect with anyone, not to mention occasional perspectives of other random characters, all equally forgettable, as well as very fragmented, which is where my biggest complaint comes in.
After the disaster has been resolved, the storylines we follow seem very segmented. A group of Jedi living in the Outer Rim, the Nihil who might be tied to the catastrophe, but we’re not sure, then Jedi and politicians trying to figure out what caused the destruction of a ship in the first place. I’m interested, but I just don’t think these three storylines flow together well as a cohesive narrative. We do get answers to how these connect, but it just isn’t done in a satisfying way. The book ends on such a cliffhanger with no real answers given! It is so clear that this was a kicking-off point, but I think the ending needed some work to still feel like an ending. I’m definitely going to be continuing this series, but if this were another series, I’d almost feel like I have to continue the series, but not because I liked it, because I didn’t get any real answers.